1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a label and an apparatus for manufacturing the label. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a label and an apparatus for manufacturing the label using electrophotography.
2. Description of the Related Art
Methods of manufacturing a label, in which a label sheet adhered to a release sheet is printed with a pattern and a label of a desired shape is cut out using a cutting die, are disclosed in JP-A 09-168998 and JP-A 11-033999. In these method disclosed in JP-A 09-168998 and JP-A 11-033999, it is necessary to produce a printing pattern and cutting die in order to manufacture one kind of label. Further, though these methods are effective for manufacturing a large number of labels, manufacturing costs of a printing pattern and a cutting die are high even in the case of manufacturing a small number of labels, and as a result, a cost of the label becomes high.
The present applicant proposed a method for manufacturing a label using electrophotography which includes transferring a toner-like composition of a desired pattern to a release paper having an adhesive layer thereon, and heating the release paper to manufactured a label, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4765810. This method is superior in that a label of a desired shape can be manufactured on demand.
This method, however, has a problem to be solved, in which, when the manufactured label is released from the release paper, the exposed portion of the adhesive layer on which the label is not formed, is not separated from the portion of the adhesive layer on the back of the label, and the excess adhesive agent follows the label and is released from the release paper, thus causing a trouble of handling.